~ Gift Ideas for Prisoners ~ [handy tips]

~ Gift Ideas for Prisoners ~

Prison rules vary from place to place, so to be sure what is allowed you should contact the prison or ask your pen pal before sending anything in. Many prisons are quite strict, allowing only money orders to be mailed so the inmate can buy from the prison. The following is a list of things that is acceptable to most prisons.

Magazine Subscriptions
These are great fun and can be shared. They usually need to be sent in via a publisher.
Money Orders
This is the easiest way for them to purchase what they like. You may send it to the prisoner by mail in most cases but in some prisons a form needs to be filled out and mailed to a separate place for cashing. The inmate will then receive notice that his account has been credited.
Calendars
These are usually accepted providing there is no spiral binding on the calendar. In some prisons it may need to be shipped directly from the publisher.
Stamps
Stamps are not allowed in some prisons. Some have a weekly limit and others are only allowed the embossed envelopes. These are always a welcome gift.
Cards and Note Paper
They love to receive pretty, colorful stationery and cards. When birthdays and holidays come around, many prisoners cannot afford to send a card to a family member so this helps them considerably.
Word Search/Crossword Puzzles
They also enjoy getting word search and crossword puzzles. If the book can't be sent..tear out a few pages at a time and include in your letters.
Submitted by Kris.

Free Stuff!
I send my pen pal jokes, stories and information I print from the internet. It's free and it gives him a chance to see the world from behind bars..:)
Submitted by Terri.

Special Gifts!
For my friend on death row, I wanted to buy him something for Xmas that I knew he wouldn't already have and also something the system could never take from him, so I had a star named after him, it's not expensive and all the other guys loved it to because none of them has one, it was really appreciated.

I have a photo program where I can take any photo replace the face with my inmate's. For someone who has not seen himself in anything but prison clothes for over 24 years, this has been soooooo much fun for him to see himself in the pages of a Wal-Mart ad modeling clothes, or walking along a beach, or any number of other creations. I've also done a calendar month by month with one of these fun pictures. Its great, not only does HE get to "see himself" in a different light, but so do I and its easier to picture him out here someday!
Submitted by C. Jones.

News papers or home town journals............ soft back books.......... many read the entire series by many authors........... Clancy is a favorite, Gresham is another..... however there are many, many others.......... detective and mystery novels do great too!
Submitted by Scott.

I write a prison inmate all the time and we have become very close friends. One of the things I do for my friend is get song lyrics from the many song web sites out there and mail them to him. He can't seem to get enough of these and is the envy of all his neighbors because he knows the words. Sometimes he will get the whole tier singing along.
Submitted by Billy.

Every so often I mail my pen-pal an air freshener (the scented cardboard ones that you hang on your auto rear view mirror) that is in the shape of a cartoon character. He puts it under his pillow to make his bed smell nice. I thought the flowery ones would be best, but he prefers the pine scented ones. He closes his eyes and he is outside in the trees.
Submitted by Colleen

What I do is I send him his horoscope along with mine, I highlight it and it comes with the news and a lot of different places and things. I then give it a light sprinkle of body spray so he can read it and think of me at the same time!
Submitted by Marita

Whenever I go to a concert, or an event, I like to try to obtain something from the event that I can send, a flyer, photos, ticketstubs, etc. I had one of my inmate's favorite bands sign a band photo, and since it was on paper, I could send it. He loved it. It's a nice way to let your inmate know he/she is missed, and thought about out here in the "free" world.
Submitted by -Jamie Phx, AZ

My penpal likes mystery paperbacks. It gives him something to read and find out if the guilty party is who he thought it was.
Submitted by e-mail

Amazon.com has a bunch of crossword puzzle books and books in general; and if you spend over $25, the shipping is free. My prison pen pal's birthday is coming up and plan on ordering ahead of time.
Submitted by e-mail

I send my nephew the latest issue of TRADING TIMES. He will not be getting out soon, but he likes to keeps up with current items for sale.
Submitted by Jim